1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber observing image processing apparatus in which an optical fiber set in an optical fiber fusion-splicer is photo-taken by a television camera and a photo-taken image is processed to permit automatic fusion-splice of the optical fiber. In this optical fiber observing image processing apparatus, a high speed processing speed is achieved and a circuit is simple while permitting high accurate observation with two or more television cameras.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 30 shows an example of a conventional optical fiber fusion-splicer having an optical fiber observing image processing apparatus S. The optical fiber observing image processing apparatus S is devised so that connection of an optical fiber can be achieved at a high speed. The optical fiber fusion-splicer includes positioning members A, B shiftable in X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions, and optical fibers (optical fiber core) C, D having ends to be butted are set in the positioning members. A television camera (camera head) G to which an incident optical system F is attached is disposed in the vicinity of butted portions of the optical fibers C, D and serves to photo-take images of the optical fibers C, D illuminated by an illumination light source E from a direction perpendicular to an optical axes of the fibers. An image photo-taken by the television camera G is processed by the fiber observing image processing apparatus S which will be described later. On the basis of a processed result, a signal is sent from the image processing apparatus S to a control circuit I and a fiber position control circuit J, so that the positioning members A, B are shifted on the basis of the signal to position the optical fibers C, D, the fibers C, D are fusion-connected by discharging between electrode rods H. The fiber observing image processing apparatus S has a function for confirming a condition of end faces of the fibers, as well as a function for controlling the positioning of the fibers C, D.
The fiber observing image processing apparatus S has a drive circuit K for supplying a synchronous signal and an electric power to the television camera G and for picking-up an image signal from the television camera G. In a rear stage of the drive circuit K, there are provided, in two systems, a capturing portion L for capturing the image signal outputted from the drive circuit K, a data memory M for storing the capturing image data, and a data operator (calculator) N for processing the image data to calculate information for the positioning of the fibers C, D. In one of the systems, a region where the fiber C is reflected is image-processed, and, in the other system, a region where the fiber D is reflected is image-processed, thereby increasing the entire image processing speed.
In some optical fiber fusion-splicer, three-dimensional positioning is facilitated by photo-taking optical fibers C, D (to be fusion-connected) from two or three directions. In the apparatus in which the fibers are photo-taken from two directions, as shown in FIG. 31A, a mirror R is disposed around the fibers C, D so that the fibers can be photo-taken by a single television camera from two directions simultaneously, or, as shown in FIG. 31B, two television cameras are provided so that the fibers C, D can be photo-taken from different angles. In the latter case, as shown in FIG. 32A, each television camera G is associated with an A/D converter T and a data memory U so that image signals of the television cameras G are captured in parallel to be processed by a data operator P, or, as shown in FIG. 32B, a video switcher V is provided so that the image signals are alternately captured by a single set of an A/D converter T and a data memory U while alternately switching two television cameras G to be processed by a data operator P. In the example shown in FIG. 32B, since a reflection of the television camera G is constituted by a frame image renewed every 1/30 second, two television cameras G are alternately switched by the video switcher V every 1/30 second, so that the image data are captured in the data memory U and the image processing is effected by the data operator P for each of the television cameras G every 1/15 second.
(1) Since the fiber observing image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 30 has only a single television camera G, it is not suitable for high accurate positioning. Further, due to recent high speed tendency of microprocessors (data operator N), high speed and larger capacity tendency of memories, a data transfer speed and a data calculating speed are increased greatly, even when a single television camera is used, it is not required that the image data is divided into two systems to process the data.
(2) In the fiber observing image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 31A since two images are photo-taken by the single television camera G, a magnifying power in the optical system cannot be increased, with the result that a resolving power is low in comparison with other photo-taking methods.
(3) In the fiber observing image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 32A, since the optical fibers C, D are photo-taken by two television cameras from plural directions, the positioning accuracy can be improved, and, since the image data from the television cameras G are captured independently to process the data, the processing speed can be increased. However, the circuit is complicated to make the entire apparatus expensive and bulky.
(4) In the fiber observing image processing apparatus shown in FIG. 32B, since the signals from two television cameras G are captured into the single capturing system to process the signals, the circuit can be simplified. However, since the images from the respective television cameras G are renewed every 1/15 second, it is difficult to increase the positioning speed.